1. Field of the Inventions
The present invention relates generally to accessories and particularly to accessories that can be attached to a strap.
2. Description of the Related Art
Straps are commonly used for supporting an article by a person's body, thereby leaving the person's hands free to perform various tasks. Typically, a shoulder strap extends about a person's shoulders and neck and can be connected to an article, such as a purse, bag (e.g., a satchel, diaper bag, and backpack), and the like. Typically these articles have compartments that are not conveniently accessible when a person is wearing the article. For example, the storage compartments of a backpack may not be easily accessed by a person wearing the backpack. Thus, a person may have to remove the backpack in order to remove an item from the backpack.
Many times straps are used to support an instrument, especially stringed musical instruments (e.g., a guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, etc.). These stringed musical instruments are typically played while standing. The shoulder strap is usually positioned on the player's shoulder, such that the ends of the strap are connected to the instrument positioned in front of the musician. The central portion of the strap extends over and around the shoulder of the musician. Some instruments are heavy and therefore may be cumbersome to remove from the player's body during, e.g., a musical performance. Thus, the musician often wears the instrument by the strap while performing normal everyday tasks due to the difficulty in removing and replacing the instrument. For example, musicians may wear a musical instrument, such as a guitar, while they smoke (e.g., cigarettes) and/or ingest fluids.
Guitars are a popular musical instrument among musicians and audiences. The guitarist is usually highly visible during musical performances. A guitar strap typically holds a guitar so that the guitarist's left hand can grip the front board neck of the guitar, and the guitarist's right hand is usually used to strum the strings of the guitar with his fingers, or a pick. If the guitarist is sitting, the bottom or lower end of the guitar can rest upon the guitarist's thigh, and the guitar strap ensures that the guitar does not fall and hit the ground. Unfortunately, a guitarist may stop performing for an undesirable amount of time to perform normal tasks. Typically, the guitarist does not have convenient access to items, such as lighters, drink containers, guitar picks, bottle openers, and the like. For example, a guitarist may wear clothing that does not have compartments (e.g., pockets) for holding these items. Accordingly, the guitarist may have to stop performing and/or leave the performance area (e.g., a stage) to obtain a lighter for lighting a cigarette, a bottle opener for opening a bottle containing foodstuffs, and/or drinkware.